§ 3.5 p.m.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKMy Lords, I wish to ask the noble Viscount the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs a question of which I have given him private notice. I wish to ask whether he has any further information to give regarding the Far East situation and whether he is aware of the danger of delay in relieving the position at Tientsin and of that which may arise from any further insufferable indignities upon British subjects there.
§ 3.6 p.m.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (VISCOUNT HALIFAX)My Lords, I may perhaps first give my noble friend and your Lordships the facts, so far as I have information of them. The general situation at Tientsin remains the same. The arrivals of perishable food stuffs continue to be spasmodic and are only between re and 20 per cent. of the normal; there are, however, ample stocks in the Concession of flour and rice. The local municipal and military authorities have the question of food supplies under constant review and have authority to take such measures as appear appropriate. The barbed wire entanglement surrounding the Concession was electrically charged at 10 p.m. on June 20. About this date women and children generally leave Tientsin for seaside resorts to escape the hot weather, and about 1oo women and the same number of children have already left. About 1,000 British subjects still remain in the British Concession. His Majesty's Ship "Sandwich" arrived at Tientsin on June 20, relieving His Majesty's Ship "Lowestoft" which left on June 23 for Weihaiwei via certain seaside resorts to which British women and children have proceeded. As has been reported, a number of British subjects have been stripped and searched at the barriers. I have spoken in the strongest terms to the Japanese Ambassador on the subject of this action which 761 His Majesty's Government hold to be entirely indefensible, and His Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo has made similar representations to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs.
While the general situation remains as I have stated, there are prospects that a settlement may be reached of the local issues outstanding between the British and Japanese authorities at Tientsin, and I am now able to announce that, as a result of an exchange of views which has taken place between His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom and the Japanese Government, it has been agreed that conversations shall take place in Tokyo in order to effect a settlement of various questions relating to present conditions in Tientsin. Representatives of local. British and Japanese authorities will be invited to Tokyo for the purpose. These conversations, which are expected to start forthwith, will, as I have stated, relate to local issues and will be designed on the one side to secure that the neutrality of the Concession should be maintained, and, on the other, British authority in the Concession preserved intact. In view of these conversations, His Majesty's Government assume that an end will be put to the vexatious procedure now being enforced in Tientsin, and they have reason to hope that this will in fact happen. Your Lordships will have seen reports that orders have been issued to stop the searching of foreigners, but I have not yet received official confirmation of this.
In regard to South China, the Japanese forces landed near Swatow on June 21 and completed their occupation of the port on the following day. The situation with regard to the use of the harbour by the shipping of Treaty Powers is still obscure, but the British naval authorities are taking steps to prevent undue interference with British ships. On June 27 information was received from the Japanese Consul-General at Shanghai to the effect that military operations would begin that day against the Treaty Ports of Wenchow and Foochow in South China. The Japanese Consul-General at the same time requested that all third Power vessels should leave these harbours by noon of June 29. His Majesty's Consul-General at Shanghai has replied pointing out that the right of British vessels to proceed to any port in Chinese waters 762 remains unaffected and we consider that the Japanese authorities are consequently not entitled to exercise undue interference with the movements of British ships or avoidably to endanger British lives and property.
I may add that all the considerations indicated by the noble Viscount are very present to the mind of His Majesty's Government and that they have every intention of maintaining British rights and interests in China. In view of the fact that, as I have said, conversations are about to open, I hope the noble Viscount will not press me further at this stage, but I shall, of course, be glad to give your Lordships at any time such further information as may be available and possible.
§ 3.12 p.m.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKWith your Lordships' permission I should like to thank my noble friend for the full and courteous reply he has made to my question. Of course I understand that, with negotiations just commencing, he is unable to give any further details to-day. But I venture to suggest to my noble friend that he cannot be too forcible in the diplomatic language that he uses in impressing upon the Japanese Government the intense resentment aroused both in Great Britain and the British Empire at the insufferable indignities that have been heaped upon our nationals, and for the unwarrantable and high-handed actions taken in connection with our trade interests in China; and, my Lords, also at the laxity of purpose shown by the Japanese Government in redressing these wrongs. It will take a long time to eradicate this resentment, and I am sure that I am voicing public opinion when I say that only an immediate cessation will satisfy this country and the British Empire.
Without infringing in any way what the noble Viscount has said, there are two or three points which will come up during these negotiations upon which there is a very strong feeling in the East and in this country among those who know what is going on. I would venture to mention to my noble friend two or three of these points which are agitating our minds very seriously. It is reported on very good authority that the Japanese Government may propose as the basis of negotiation for the settlement of the affair at Tientsin, first of all co-operation 763 in the suppression of anti-Japanese elements. Without saying anything offensive to Japan, I believe that the word "co-operation" in the Japanese dictionary means giving everything to the Japanese that they ask for without any question. I venture to ask His Majesty's Government and the British Ambassador to bear this in mind when they are negotiating. The second point is that Great Britain shall cease to support the Chinese national currency in North China. It has already been reported that His Majesty's Government have declined to accept this suggestion. I wish to urge upon His Majesty's Government to stand fast on that line, if the information is correct, and not to give way one iota to what would mean a death-blow to international trade, and British trade likewise, in China and the Far East.
Then there is a third point, upon which the British residents in Tientsin especially and in Shanghai and the rest of China feel very strongly, and that is in connection with the $50,000,000 of Chinese silver which are deposited in Chinese banks in Tientsin. There is a suggestion that this silver might be handed over to Japan in the course of these negotiations. I cannot urge too strongly on His Majesty's Government the disastrous effect that that would have upon the Chinese mind and upon our position—in fact the position of all our nationals—in the East. I venture to hope that this will not be brought into effect in any way whatsoever. I merely wish, before sitting down, to emphasize once more the very strong feeling of resentment that there is in this country and in the British Empire, and to say that Japan must not go too far in these matters, because there is a point at which we may not be able to hold out any longer.
§ 3.17 p.m.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, I do not wish to embarrass the noble Viscount by asking him any questions that he thinks inadvisable to answer, but I wonder if, in the negotiations which are likely to take place or in other ways, any inquiry will be made into the loss of the lives of the Canadian missionary and his wife by recent bombings in that area. It is a matter of very great importance to one of our great Dominions, and I hope it will not be overlooked.
§ 3.18 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT HALIFAXMy Lords, perhaps by leave of your Lordships I may say one word. The point that the noble Lord has raised will certainly not be overlooked, but I cannot at this stage say what action may be possible in regard to it. With regard to what fell from my noble friend behind me, I would remind him that in the statement that I made I was careful to say that these conversations will relate to local issues; and that I think in part answers one or two of the observations that he made. He will believe that I am, and have every reason to be, as fully alive to the strength of feeling that these incidents have quite naturally and quite properly aroused among all our people as he is; and I have also very present to my mind the feeling that they must have particularly aroused among the British residents in China, more especially those on whom the direct and principal burden of them has perforce fallen, and who have in their extremely difficult circumstances the sympathy of the whole people of this country. For the rest, my Lords, I can assure my noble friend that his observations will be duly noted, and I am quite sure he will have the same confidence as I have in His Majesty's Representative at Tokyo to see that these considerations are properly borne in mind.